Page 44 of A Little Bit Extra

I’m pulled out of my thoughts by my phone ringing. I sigh and groan, slinking into my chair deeper.

Lane walks over from the kitchen, peering over my shoulder. “Mommy troubles?”

I grab the pillow next to me and toss it up into his face. I stand up to answer the call, and Lane takes the advantage to steal my spot.

“I’m taking that back.” I point to the chair. Lane nods, then swiftly turns to watch whatever is on television. I didn’t pay attention enough to figure out what they turned on.

I walk down the hall toward my bedroom, shutting the door before I hit the accept button on my phone.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetie. Happy birthday.” It’s almost as if I can hear her smile and it makes me sad again. Not sad that they aren’t here, more so sad that I don’t think she realizes she’s no longer a close figure in my life.

“Thanks, Mom. Staying busy today?” I ask.

“Mhm, mhm. The growth in my garden has been astonishing. You wouldn’t believe it, sweetie. I mean, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes… I could keep going on, but I wouldn’t want to bore you with the details.” She adds an innocent chuckle.

“Not a bother. Happy to hear the garden is going well. Dad around?” Not that I want to talk to him, but I always ask. It’s the same script every time we talk.

“No, he’s out with some friends. Golfing, I believe. He told me you two talked though and informed me about your little friend,” she says in a motherly tone. I can hear clashing tools and a bit of muttering. I can only assume she’s trying to carry things and talk on the phone at the same time.

“Just a friend, yes. No need to worry. Dad already talked to me about it.” I’m wondering why I bother to answer her calls anymore. They tend to just be a reminder of my dad’s call. To push my buttons a little further until I’m about to pop.

“Okay, sweetie. I know. We trust you. We just want the best for you, you know?” I hum in response. “I hate to cut this short, but I think it might just rain. Dang weather. We’ll talk later this week, okay? Love you.”

“Love you too, Mom.” I remove the phone from my ear and hang up with one last sigh.

Greetings from outside the room reach me, so Cassie must be here. I should get out there before the guys gang up on her for something or the article gets mentioned. Both of which I don’t want to happen. I will say that Cassie seems to blend in with our group seamlessly, minus Marcy, who is still a little apprehensive.

I stand up from the bed and walk out of the room, shutting the door behind me. When I get to the living room, I’m hit with the smell of lavender and citrus. A scent I’ve familiarized myself with. Cassie is sitting in the other chair to the left of the couch talking to Marcy, who moved to the other side. Lucy is sitting at the island with Tyler. My gaze meets Cassie’s, and she waves while giving me a small smile. I continue walking toward her and for once I have hope that maybe she’s feeling the same way.

13

Cassie

I wish I could stop time and freeze this moment. Here I am, sitting in this chair in the last place I would have expected a few weeks ago. I smile at Marcy as she tells me about her family, which I take as a good sign that she’s not mad at me. No one has mentioned the article Annie called to tell me about this morning, so I’m breathing a little easier.

This group of friends is special because they support and encourage each other in everything they do. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have made friends like this years ago if I had put myself out there. I’ve been so busy ensuring that acting is my number one focus and priority that I forgot to live a little. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to not worry about if I’m behind or if I’ll land an audition.

I’ve felt my mood shift over the past few weeks. I’m no longer as anxious when I go to acting class. In the past, I would obsess over scenes and practice nonstop. If I wasn’t at the diner or having dinner with Lucy, I was rehearsing, trying to improve my craft. There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, but when it takes over your whole life, it becomes unhealthy, and I see that now.

I’ve let my fear of losing this dream chase away potential people that could have been by my side encouraging and rooting for me.

Looking at Emmett, who’s currently in an intense conversation with Lane about the latest basketball game, I’m grateful. He somehow penetrated my wall and pulled me into this little group of his, even though I wasn’t the most willing participant.

I can't help but stare at him, and when he catches me, his lips break into a smile and his eyes widen with delight.

“Hi.” I mouth the word since he’s across the room. We haven’t had the chance to talk since I’ve been here. As soon as I knocked, the door opened to reveal everyone in the living room watching a movie. Lucy walked past me and went straight to Tyler, something we will need to talk about later. It’s a little suspicious.

Marcy waved me over to sit by her, and part of me thought she would reprimand me for the article. Okay, well, most of me thought that. I definitely assumed she’d at least question me about it.

Lucy and I were eating breakfast when Annie called to tell me about the article.

“When were you going to tell me about you and Emmett?” She had asked.

She caught me off guard, but I wasn’t sure what she meant. She knows I work with him, but she couldn’t possibly know I was hanging out with him. Lucy didn’t tell her and she’s the only one that knows.

“The article, Cass! Really? You have a Hollywood article featuring you and you don’t even know. I can’t believe it.” She scoffed.

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